Which Red Sox Are Going To The White House -- And Which Ones Aren't
BOSTON (CBS) -- The defending World Series champion Boston Red Sox will pay a visit to the White House on Thursday. At least some of them.
Boston manager Alex Cora revealed Sunday that he would not be attending the ceremony at the White House later this week, citing his and his family's displeasure with how President Donald Trump handled relief efforts in Puerto Rico following Hurricane Maria in 2017.
But Cora is not alone, as several of Boston's core players have also said they won't be attending the festivities in the nation's capital later this week. Shortstop Xander Bogaerts also revealed that he won't be going on Sunday, joining a handful of his teammates who will skip the event.
Not Attending
Mookie Betts
Xander Bogaerts
Jackie Bradley Jr.
Rafael Devers
Sandy Leon
David Price
Christian Vazquez
Hector Velazquez
Price said he didn't want to attend because it's during the season, and left it at that (Boston re-scheduled their visit, which was initially scheduled during the government shutdown). Velazquez said he did not want to go because he didn't want to offend anyone in his home country of Mexico. Bradley Jr. made his intentions know earlier this year and was hit by backlash, and later clarified that he would be skipping the trip no matter who was in office.
Here are the players who will attend, highlighted by J.D. Martinez, Chris Sale and World Series MVP Steve Pearce.
Will Attend
Matt Barnes
Ryan Brasier
Nathan Eovaldi
Heath Hembree
Brock Holt
Brian Johnson
J.D. Martinez
Mitch Moreland
Steve Pearce
Rick Porcello
Chris Sale
Brandon Workman
Steven Wright
With the visit just a few days away, players Eduardo Rodriguez and Eduardo Nunez remain undecided. Red Sox owners John Henry and Tom Werner will be in attendance, as will president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski and president and CEO Sam Kennedy. The Boston brass has said all along that it's up to the players to decide for themselves, and has not made the event mandatory.